The Wrong Side of Heaven
by w Blitz
Summary: AU. Eight years before sovereign and during the first contact war, Corporal Shepard was 18 years old and fresh out of basic. When her ship is shot down over an unknown planet, she is forced to survive and adapt. Many surprises and revelations await her as she is conditioned into the Commander Shepard we all know and love. Garrus/Femshep. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**The Wrong Side of Heaven**

_Summary: AU. Eight years before sovereign and during the first contact war, Corporal Shepard was 18 years old and fresh out of basic. When her ship is shot down over an unknown planet, she is forced to survive and adapt. Many surprises and revelations await her as she is conditioned into the Commander Shepard we all know and love._

_Disclaimer: Bioware owns all. _

Chapter 1: Survival

The ship gave a violent jerk. Shepard was tossed to the floor from her bunk. The ship was in uproar. Her ears rung from the screams and scuffle across the deck- her eyes cleared from their groggy haze. She leapt to her feet and wrenched open her locker.

She hissed to the Corporal to her left. "What the fuck is going on?"

The young woman was shaking as she clasped her armor into place. "A turian cruiser is attacking. We've been ordered to man all battle stations."

Shepard was slamming her chest plate into place. "A cruiser? There is no fucking way this metal bucket can stand against a cruiser."

"Just following the orders." The other girl sighed and slammed her locker shut before darting from the crew quarters. Shepard was slapping her greaves in place with her assault rifle hanging from her hands as she stumbled across the deck.

The ship lurched again while Shepard sprinted down the hall. Her back slammed into the bulkhead as the hull breached behind her. She scrambled against the vacuum that was dragging soldiers out into the abyss.

Shepard gritted her teeth and clung to the floor panels. The VI repeated on a loop. "Critical failure. Advise all personnel to utilize escape pods on the crew deck."

"Shit, shit, shit." The young woman crawled forward as quickly as she could. Her assault rifle fell from her hands; she desperately tried to recapture it as it was sucked through the hull breach. Shepard abandoned her futile attempts and crawled through the nearest doorway.

Away from the pressure of the vacuum, she sprinted for the escape pods. "This system has lost control of the ship. Pods 1 through 11 have been deployed- zero personnel were aboard."

"What the FUCK." Shepard snarled angrily, those turian bastards were eliminating their means of escape. The last pod's shutters began to close as she dove inside. She didn't have a chance to buckle herself in when it she felt the tell tale shudder of the hull.

The pod launched itself through the atmosphere of the planet.

* * *

><p>Nihlus watched the destruction of the human ship from bridge of the cruiser. His arms were clasped behind his back. The ship gave one final shudder before exploding.<p>

"Spectre Kyrik. Pods 1 through 11 were deployed without survivors. Life scans report one human was able to escape in the 12th before we were able to deploy it."

Nihlus grunted. "The planet is inhabited with several different creatures, not to mention the warring batarian pirates and blood pack krogans. This planet is known for its climate instability. It'll be interesting to see if this human survives the night."

The tech regarded him curiously. "So, you aren't going to take out of the pirates and blood pack, yet?"

Nihlus gave a shake of his head. His mandibles fluttered as he returned the window with the view of the planet beneath them. "No, I'll remain aboard. However, I want your best sniper scout to go planet side and observe the human for the duration of her survival. Perhaps we can learn something useful in this conflict."

The tech nodded his head with a salute. "The best sniper we have is without a doubt Vakarian. I'll let him know immediately to suit up."

Nihlus nodded his head in affirmation.

* * *

><p>Garrus gave a frown at the orders he had just received. "So, I'm just supposed to observe this human?"<p>

The turian tech nodded his head. "Just observe. The Spectre thinks you might be able to learn new things about the humans this way. He doesn't expect the human to survive the conditions of the planet, but either way it should be interesting."

Garrus shrugged his arms. "I suppose. Will I be reporting directly to Spectre Kryik?"

They approached the shuttle that fluttered above the deck in the hull. "Yes. Good luck."

Vakarian seated himself inside the transport shuttle. The doors slid closed and jetted from the ship towards the planet's surface. "Escape pod located. One life sign scanned in the surrounding area."

"VI, land me one klick north of the pod."

"Understood, Serviceman Vakarian."

The shuttle shuddered as it landed on the planet's ground. Garrus leapt from the transport and moved to a well-covered area. He set his pack of provisions before him and rested the sniper over it.

He found the pod and began scouring the area for a sign of the human. He saw a flutter of red and found her body lying against the earth, motionless. His comm link clicked, "Serviceman Vakarian- This is Spectre Kryik. Have you located the human?"

"Yes, sir. The human is female; it looks like her pod was ripped in half from the landing. She's alive- her heart rate is steady."

"Good. Do you have your proper cold weather gear?"

"Yes, sir." Garrus frowned to himself. "Why?"

"The planet's climate is highly instable. When nighttime falls, the weather will drop below freezing. Luckily, tonight should be the only night that happens within the next three weeks. I don't expect the human to last through out the night."

"I won't be able to observe much in that little of time."

"That's expected. We couldn't bypass this opportunity; this is the closest we've gotten to be able to observe their species outside their element."

"Understood, Spectre."

He clicked the comm link off. He sighed vehemently. Not only would this day and night not turn up anything of use, he was going to have to suck it up in the cold.

* * *

><p>Shepard gasped suddenly. Her eyes watered from the sudden pain she felt through out her body. Her mind flashing to the events that took place before her landing- <em>if you could call it that.<em> Her pod had been ripped in half; she hadn't had the opportunity to buckle herself in and was jerked from the pod.

Lucky for her, the branches of the trees softened her fall somewhat. That didn't stop the onset of soreness that curled around her muscles. Shepard groaned as she pushed herself up from the ground.

She stood on her shaky legs and took in her surroundings. The area was alive with a buzz of activity from the different life forms of the planet. She growled with annoyance. Her first fucking mission and now she was stuck here on an unknown planet- she didn't know it's cycles or what lived her; she knew absolutely nothing except that the air was breathable.

That only told her it had an ecosystem. Which meant it had predators too. _Fuck._ She brought up her omni-tool. It was mostly undamaged; with a little luck she may be able to hail an alliance vessel for extraction. She lifted it up to the sunlight and squinted.

Suddenly a shot rang out, Shepard dove to the ground and scrambled behind a tree for cover. She heard the sputter of technology and stared at her omni-tool which had been destroyed from the shot. Rage suddenly roared in her veins as she realized what was happening.

_They_ were trapping her here and forcing her to survive. Why they didn't just kill her, was beyond her. Maybe they were using her for study to learn the weaknesses of humans. Her face darkened with a scowl as she stood up, they weren't going to kill her yet, that much was obvious.

Shepard stepped out of her cover and threw her destroyed omni-tool in the dirt. She kicked it angrily. Her eyes scanned the foliage around her for any tell tale shimmer of the sniper who had destroyed her chances of leaving the planet any time soon. She snarled angrily to herself and wrenched her kabar from its sheath.

If they were trying to observe her for weaknesses', they sure as hell weren't going to find any with her.

* * *

><p><strong>The idea of this story is to explore the strength of humanity and their abilities to adapt and overcome- and of course entailing the fun of the adventures between Garrus and Shepard. Hope yall enjoyed the first chapter- the following chapters will be longer this is just a prelude to all the fun that is to come.<strong>

**As some of you may know- I am **_**very**_** action centered, so there will be lots of fighting and surviving and blowing shit up, because that's how I roll. **

**I would love to hear your guys' ideas and comments, whether it's positive or negative; I'm always looking for ways to improve. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Wrong Side of Heaven**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 2: Hot-Blooded

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><p>Shepard worked her way across the forest. Her blood was running furiously through her body. The sun began to set and she felt the first chill work through her armor. Tonight was going to be incredibly cold. She would need to find a shelter first and foremost.<p>

The luxury of being a human was food could wait a day or two, or even a week. With the chill in the air, she doubted she would have any time to feel the pangs of thirst wretch her body before the cold took her to hell.

With her luck- or perhaps since her luck was absolutely shitty as of late; if Mother Nature was on her side, it would snow and she would thus be provided with all the water she needed during her ordeal. She just needed a container in which she could capture the water.

Shepard could probably obtain such an object from the wreckage of the downed pod. Now, all she needed to worry about was a shelter to weather herself from the coming storm. She could probably construct one from the branches of trees with twine from her under suit- but that would only be as a last resort. What she needed was a cave- or perhaps another downed pod would suffice if it were still intact. Her pod was ripped to hell when it _crashed_.

If Shepard had any thoughts on suicide by freezing to death, she'd crawl into that little dome and would be dead within the hour into the night. Of course, she didn't have any such thoughts except to kick the turian's back into whatever asshole of the galaxy they crawled out of.

She couldn't help the small smirk that twisted her lips. If that sniping bastard had any thoughts of an easy target they sure as fuck picked the wrong damn corporal. Shepard was raised on the streets of Earth by the low-life gangs and scum that controlled its depths; if there was any damn thing she knew more than the feel of a warm gun- it was survival.

And she was damn good at surviving.

Starvation? No big deal. She starved for most of her childhood. She could handle a couple measly weeks without food. The cold? Easy. She had no issues starting fires and her blood ran hot enough that she felt confident she would have no issues in the coming night. Dehydration? That gave her a moment's pause. She _knew_ the feel of dehydration all too well. It was a miserable fucking feeling and dangerous too. A human can only survive three days without a form of hydration- and she's gone four days in the span of her lifetime. On the third day, you were lucky to even know your own goddamn name.

Shepard had a feeling she wouldn't have an issue with dehydration in this scenario, for which she was greatly relieved.

She had been walking for close to an hour when her eyes took in the sight of hollowed out area within the planet's rock formation. She pumped her fist into the air in delight and moved quickly to the entrance of the cave formation.

Shepard began cutting branches and twigs of the surrounding foliage- satisfied she had enough kindling for the night; she retreated into the cave to begin setting up her campfire.

* * *

><p>Garrus would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed by the human's motivation to stay alive. He watched her over most of the last dying light until she retreated into the cave with her arms full of plants and the like.<p>

That was over an hour ago. He had already retreated into his cold weather gear and was still shivering violently. The temperature had dropped over 80 degrees in the last 45 minutes bringing it to negative 40 Fahrenheit. Turians didn't do well in cold weather, but he doubted the human was fairing much better no matter how hot she got her damn fire.

And she didn't have cold weather gear, or any sort of protection besides the cave-which was only good for shielding her from the wind. She wouldn't survive the night- of this he was sure. He watched calmly through his scope, contemplating getting some shut-eye when he saw her lithe form stumble from the cave yawning.

Her body jerked violently and her tiny hands were wrapped tightly under her arms. Garrus grimaced to himself, he couldn't imagine at the moment a death worse than what she was suffering at that exact moment. He felt the tiniest, niggling thought of sympathy worm it's way into his brain.

The human collapsed to her knees in the iced over landscape. Her knife hung loosely in her frozen hands as she coughed and shook torrentially. He heard a howl in the depths of the forest- the woman's head shot up as three creatures he knew to be varren leapt from the depths.

Garrus felt the urge to look away- he didn't relish the thought of watching her frozen body trying to fight off three varren and get torn apart in the process. The young woman jerked to her feet and gave a low snarl that crept its way into his bones and sent a shiver straight to his gut. She launched forward with surprising show of agility and slammed her knife deep into the back of one of the varren. It screamed in pain as she jerked free and kicked the advancing second one in the teeth.

The third leapt on her forearm and bit down, blood sprayed as fought free from its hold and yelling in pain in the process. Garrus half expected her to fall in this moment when she charged again and dug her knife deep in the chest of the third.

It gave mewling whimper before collapsing in the snow. The corporal whipped around, her knife slashing through the air aggressively and landed another stab into the shoulder of the second varren. The first began to back off quickly as she began mauling the beast with her blade.

A fourth growl alerted her from her tirade. From the darkness of the forest stepped another varren, its stance was proud and aggressive and he was far larger than the three she had just fought off. Garrus knew this varren to be the alpha male; the young woman had proven to be enough of a threat the alpha needed to take care of her.

Alphas were vicious; they only earned their positions by being the most violent and toughest creatures of their kind. He had moved his positioning closer to get a better view without the scope of his rifle. He rolled back on his haunches and watch carefully through the under bush as the two circled each other.

The human's breath was sharp and short, as she was no doubt freezing to death slowly. The varren snarled and leapt for her, she dipped low and drug her knife down its underbelly. The animal gave a pitiful howl and stumbled to the ground, it's blood spilled colors into the snow.

He staggered at first before retaliating violently. The varren came at her in a run and jumped, it's mouth widening in preparation for her neck. The young human gave a feral snarl and whipped her body forward and brought her blade down harshly on its skull.

The animal was dead before it could make a sound; it collapsed in a heap- blood pooled around the lifeless form. Shepard heaved and blundered her way over. She brought a hand to its body and felt and suddenly a maniacal grin worked its way over her waxy complexion.

Garrus watched as she gutted the varren down the center of its body. He was suddenly unnerved by her fervor as she dug its entrails out into the snow and began dragging the creature into her den. He crawled his way toward the entrance where it was illuminated by the floundering light of her makeshift fireplace.

If he weren't an already hardened military scout he would have wanted to vomit as he watched her tiny form curl into itself and crawl inside the body of the varren. _What the ever loving fuck._

She pulled the flaps of skin over herself and settled within the creature. Garrus realized that the creature was a very hot-blooded animal and that perhaps it's warmth was what she was seeking- suddenly; upon this realization he couldn't help but admire her creativity.

From that very moment as he witnessed all that she would do just to survive a single night in a foreign place- he knew he was going to planet side for a hot minute while he observed her actions. She wasn't going to lie down very easily at all.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the wait, life got in the way for a moment there. Hopefully this makes up, yes? Thank you SO much for all the reviews, faves, and alerts. I can't even express how much yall's feedback means to me.<strong>

**If you have any advice or ideas, feel free to leave them in a review or message to myself- I would love to improve the story anyway I can. **

**I combed through this twice for any mistakes, but it'll take a few more times after I've cleared my eyes for a day or two. Sorry in advance.**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Wrong Side of Heaven**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 3: River Maws

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><p>Shepard awoke to a light streaming in the entrance of the cavern. She crawled wearily from the body of the varren. Her lips curled in disgust at the gore slipping down her sides and hanging from her armor. She wiped it away best she could, before stumbling outside.<p>

Shepard hung her head back and sucked in the sweet air greedily. The smell of decay still hung around her body. Water dripped from the trees with a steady beat, she could hear the forest in uproar with the many life forms that lived amongst their branches. Thirst began to wretch her body as she kneeled in the quickly melting snow.

Her hands scooped it up and she drank voraciously. The frozen water loosened up in her hot mouth and slid down her throat, she sighed as relief flooded her body. As Shepard continued to bunch the snow when her eyes caught a peculiar track.

Her brows furrowed as she crawled forward to examine. It was a strange shape, similar to a boot, but not human in anyway. She continued forward to find the next one; she tracked the steps with her eyes up the hillside. Shepard caught the slightest glimmer at the top. A slow, vicious grin twisted her lips.

She muttered to no one in particular, "Getting a little sloppy, eh, turian?" Shepard stood as her thoughts began to whirl around her mind. The turian was going to get his, that was for sure; but she needed to be careful. She couldn't afford to be slovenly.

Shepard would need to appear to have no interest in tracking him down, she was sure he caught her gaze towards his location. If the bastard was smart he would move himself somewhere else, not that it would help him. Before she confronted the turian, she would need another weapon besides just her kabar.

Shepard took in her surroundings; her eyes caught the thick tree branches. She smirked a little to herself. If they wanted to force her to live like a primitive; she sure as hell could fight like one.

She broke a branch free. It was long and spindly- perfect for a spear. Shepard began shaving the end down with her knife. She set forward towards her pod while working on the weapon-in-progress idly.

* * *

><p>"Give me a Sit-Rep, Vakarian."<p>

Garrus chewed on his words thoughtfully as he watched the young woman through his scope. "She survived the night, Spectre."

The voice piqued with interest. "_Really?_ What happened?"

"Well, it would appear we gravely underestimated humanity, sir."

Garrus swallowed a laugh at the heavy sigh on the other end. "_Obviously._"

The turian started again as he watched the Corporal begin shaving down a stick. "She was able to fight off four varren in the dead of night with a _knife_. Then she butchered the alpha varren and slept in its carcass."

Silent static prickled over the net. After a heavy pause there was a near silent muttering. "_Spirits._ Has she even eaten?"

"No, sir. 36 hours and counting and she doesn't look any the worse for wear. She just got her first drink of water, took two sips and has taken off back to what looks like her escape pod. If I'm not mistaken- I would say she's very unconcerned at the moment about feeding herself."

"It would appear so. Perhaps humans don't need to eat as often as other species?"

"Or maybe they can just go a lot longer without eating. It would explain their fleshy bodies."

"Oh, fuck- that would mean their body is capable of feeding off itself? They don't hibernate do they?"

Garrus lifted his head as his mandibles clicked idly. "They can't be- we've been fighting this damn war for too long; they would have to drop off the face of the galaxy for at least four months, and that has yet to happen."

"Maybe they hibernate in cycles?"

"Now that's just stupid." Vakarian chuckled lightly as he resumed his observation. Shepard had approached the river and was now cautiously wading into it.

Nihlus started warningly. "Serviceman-"

"Sorry, sir." He replied flippantly. Garrus was too busy becoming enthralled with the way the water washed around the young woman as she ducked beneath the surface. Her red hair glimmered as she flung it back and squeezed it free of the blood that soaked it. He vaguely heard Nihlus speaking, but none of his words registered in his befuddled brain.

"Vakarian?"

Garrus jerked from his reverie. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Forget about it-" Vakarian's eyes caught the sight of the irregular ripples in the river; he scoped in quickly and nearly jumped to his feet when a sudden dread gripped his gut. For a moment he nearly called out to the woman to warn her, but clamped down on his confusing thoughts.

"Shit, a river maw is after the human. She hasn't noticed it yet."

"_River maw? _This should be interesting. Hail me later when you need pick-up. Looks like this will be the end of the line, eh?"

"Hm. I don't know, Spectre. We doubted her once. This should be interesting."

Garrus heard the faint clicking of the end of transmissions. He resumed his bellied position just as Shepard was wrenched beneath the surface of the water.

* * *

><p>She thrashed wildly as the teeth bit into her thigh. Her fists pumped through the water towards the creatures face in a desperate bid to escape its clutches. Shepard began groping the slick skin with increased fervor.<p>

She felt her hot warm blood begin to seep into the water around her. Her fingers found what she figured to be the eyes of the creature and began tearing wildly into them. It let out a wild howl and released her instantly, its tail end whipped around and slammed into her torso.

Shepard nearly sucked in a lungful of water as the air was forced from her lungs. She scrambled to the surface. The young woman launched herself towards the shoreline where she had stupidly left her weapons. The waters calm demeanor began to swell torrentially. The waves created by the beast threw her to the muddy shore.

She had just managed to flip onto her back as a great roar echoed through out the forest. It launched from the river and curled down towards her, she jerked away just in time as it slammed into the ground beside her. Her eyes were wide as she committed it to memory.

The animal was serpent like, the width of a very large man and the length of an incredibly large crocodile. Its face was rounded like a worm with four separate tentacles similar to that of an octopus.

Shepard's nimble fingers wrapped around the hilt of her kabar; she let out an aggressive snarl and brought it down upon the beast's head. It shrieked and writhed uncontrollably. Its body slammed into her chest. For the second time that day, her breath was forced from her body.

Shepard groaned as she clutched her torso. The creature began slithering back into the water- with _her_ kabar stuck in its flesh. Annoyance laced her rage as she leapt forward with renewed vigor.

"That is my fucking kabar you oversized maggot!" She all but screamed. Her hands gripped the flailing tentacles of the beast as it attempted to retreat into the depths of the river once more.

"Oh _no _you don't. Thought you could just have me for lunch, didn't you? Didn't expect I'd put up a fight?! And now, you're going to run away?" Her voice was shrill as she dragged the beast onto the shore. It began rolling in an attempt to escape her clutches.

Shepard wrapped a tentacle around her arm to prevent its rolling maneuvers and furiously jerked the creature towards her. Her other hand wrenched her knife free from it's body. She made a move to end it when the look in its good eye halted her movements.

The creature's breaths were labored and wheezing; his eye was staring at her in only what she could describe as fear. Her murderous streak stilled; lips pursed as she unraveled her arm from its tentacle and muttered quietly. "Go back to your hole, beast." The serpent paused momentarily; it stared at her before slowly retreating back into the water.

Shepard brought her knee up and draped an arm wearily over it. Her hand ran through her wet, matted hair. She began tending to her thigh; it had several deep gouges, but nothing that was too serious. Coming down from her adrenaline rush, her body began to ache from the fight that occurred just moments ago.

She began ripping bandages from her under suit and muttered under her breath. "Is everything on this god forsaken planet going to try and kill me before this is all over?" She sighed heavily and for the first time since her crash landing did she feel the crack in her confidence began to spread, doubt seeped into her bones and she struggled to repress it.

Shepard couldn't afford these thoughts. If every damn creature would be trying to kill her for the next couple weeks, she couldn't handicap herself with self-deprecating thoughts. And just like that- she banished her doubts from her mind before standing once more on a newly bandaged, but still throbbing leg.

"Right, lets avoid the rivers from now on."

* * *

><p>Nihlus heard the click of incoming transmission. He pressed against the earpiece and spoke into it dryly.<p>

"Let me guess- you're not calling for a pick-up?"

Vakarian's voice rung out over the comm line in a tone that could only be expressed as 'shit-eating', "Nope."

**Whelp, here's another one to all you fantastic readers. This story has 20 followers already and it's only the third chapter in! Awesome! It makes me so happy to know yall are enjoying the story.**

**Thank you again to all those who reached out in reviews with your thoughts, I greatly appreciate anything yall have to say!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this one, stay classy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Wrong Side Of Heaven**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 4: Lucky

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><p>Shepard fumbled around inside the downed pod. She tossed various items over her shoulder, pieces of the engine, wires, hunks of metal with serrated edges- She paused. Her fingers ran along the tip of the shredded metal. It was unbelievably sharp, no doubt super heated from her entrance into the atmosphere and then shredded from the crash.<p>

Shepard tossed the hunk of metal into her tiny 'keep' pile. She felt like one of those people digging through a hoarders house for anything of value amongst all the garbage and filth. Her eyes lit up as she caught the edge of small white box peeking out from underneath the wreckage.

"No fucking way." She mumbled under her breath. She grabbed the edge and dragged it out. Sure as shit- a medical box. Shepard couldn't believe her luck as she flipped open the lid. Various medical bandages, sutures, needles, and- Shepard let out a shout of triumph.

"A canteen!" She latched the box shut and held onto the flask-like canteen; it's smooth metal lay cool in her hands. She grabbed a hold of the parachute and returned outside. It was reaching midday and the heat was absolutely sweltering. Shepard dropped to the ground and began sewing a pack for herself from the material of the parachute.

The medical box had been a little silver lining in the hell she had been existing in for the past couple days. With the rolls of medical sutures, it had made her job of crafting a supply pack a hell of a lot easier. Shepard had finished within hours, and without those miracle sutures it could have taken the better part of a day.

She began stuffing the supplies back within her pack as her mind reeled of ways she could approach the turian asshole 'observing' her. She had gathered a thick vine from the jungle-like trees that littered the forest. It was incredibly strong and had taken more than five minutes to cut through it with her kabar.

Shepard had no doubt in her mind that the vine would prove useful in subduing the turian once she caught up with him. He was a smart recon scout, but she was Corporal-fucking-Shepard. She would not be denied her survival and the capture of the scout would surely up her chances.

Shepard imagined that they would not just send any scout planet-side for a little science trip. He had to be highly skilled, possibly one of their better scouts in their military. With that thought, he would also be important to him- or she. Shepard never considered it could be a woman.

If Shepard was lucky, it was a woman and that would make her day a lot better. Not that woman couldn't compare- the male turians were a hell of a lot bigger than the woman- she would much rather grapple with a more size equivalent alien than their monster-sized male counterparts.

Alas- luck had not been on her side what so ever lately. Starting on board the ship- in all her time in the military Shepard _never_ lost control of her weapon and the first thing that fucking happens was she lost control of her _goddamn weapon._ It really all just went down hill from that moment- very far down hill. If Shepard had just been any recruit, she'd probably already be dead- but she was a goddamn Shepard and these stupid fucking aliens were not going to best her- even if she was the underdog in this fight.

Shepard had no family to speak of- she had been given the name Jane Shepard because there were no records when she was found. She had been homeless for as long as she could remember. Without a family- without a name linking her to anyone else in the galaxy she felt as if she had started from the bottom of the totem pole.

Her name held no weight in anyone's mind. She was a goddamn nobody. That was what had prompted her to join the military to begin with; she was a damn good survivalist and her instincts were great- she started from the very lowest of bottoms and she would kick, fight, and claw her way to the top. It was her life mission that before she sank six feet into the ground and turned to dust she would make her name known.

When people heard that name they would _know_ who the fuck she was. Shepard would make that bland, given name something and she would become somebody.

And by God, no fucking aliens were going to stand in her way.

Shepard shielded her eyes to the bright sun. Her vision took in the hill where she had spotted the scout. It was a fantastic vantage point- one she also would have chosen had their roles been reversed. Her mind spun in many different directions as she remembered the lay of the land.

If she were to return to the river where she had recently encountered the giant river worm, she would be able to get close to the mountainside where the river began. It wasn't a huge waterfall, but it was daunting enough to make her instincts blanch at the thought of scaling it. She could use the waterfall as her cover while the turian scrambled to relocate her.

God willing she would be able to make it to the top and flank the scout without him knowing. Though, if he were _really_ good- he would have already moved to a new location to begin with. Shepard hoped for the former. She really didn't want to deal with the ramifications of the turian knowing she was hunting for him.

They might decide to do something drastic like shoot her- or something equally annoying.

Shepard withdrew the sharp hunk of metal she had found earlier and grinned to herself. _Knew this would come in handy._ She approached the waterfall cautiously; her eyes scanned the water for any more worms that decided to have her for a snack. Her ears were deafened by the roar of the falls while she waded closer to the jagged rocks beneath them; _so much for avoiding the river,_ she thought to herself grimly.

She swung the jagged blade and began pulling herself up. Her feet and free hand grabbed hold of anything that held her perch. Being against the rock wall as she water fell behind her was mildly terrifying- one wrong move and she would have been sent to the depths of the river while thousands of gallons of water pelted her body.

Not to mention the worm. Shepard should have killed that thing she had the chance- her stupid conscience had stopped her in her murderous tracks and that annoyed her to no end. She grumbled to herself as she continued to climb her way to the top. Her muscles quivered the closer she got- she felt exhaustion beginning to seep its way into her bones and mind.

She began to consider if this endeavor of hers had been planned too hastily. Shepard probably should have rested before setting out to fight some master recon scout. _Too late now- _she maneuvered herself from underneath the falls and reached over the ledge. Her hands grasped at the foliage and sweet relief flooded her body.

The young woman threw herself onto the bank and heaved a breath; her chest rose and fell quickly as it recovered from her climb. She felt her heart rate beginning to slow. Shepard clambered to her feet- her eyes scanned her environment. The turian wasn't too far from her now. At most half a mile- she would need to cross the cluster of trees and she would be able to approach him from behind.

Shepard needed to be cautious of any traps laid along the way- it's what she would have done as a scout to protect her '6'. She didn't doubt he took these careful measures himself.

She began making her trek quickly and quietly as she possibly could manage. Shepard withdrew her kabar at the ready and felt the spear bump against her back with each step she took. Within fifteen minutes, the corporal had reached the clearing.

Shepard stopped within the cover of the trees as her eyes took in a most welcome sight. Just before her near the ledge was a turian clad in black armor. He shifted quietly as his sniper scanned the landscape. His voice made her freeze in her tracks.

"No- I've lost her."

"I meant just what I said- I can't find her."

"Last thing I saw was her wading back into the river- I don't think the maw got her. I would have heard that kind of commotion."

"No, Spectre. I don't think she's figured my location. I'm not stupid enough to allow her that kind of opportunity."

Shepard had never heard a turian speak before and she was shocked at the deep flanging tone. She had heard they had sub-harmonic voices, and if she were being completely honest with herself- it was an attractive sound. Which she would never think that- turians were aliens. Just that. Nothing about them is attractive at all.

Shepard began approaching him silently and with the kind of stealth that her Sergeant would have been proud of. She was within twenty-one feet of the alien before her when he spoke again.

"Yes." He heaved annoyed sigh. "I realize what kind of bargaining chip she would gain. Spirits! I get it! I'll find her."

Shepard's lips twisted into a snarky grin. She leapt forward with the grace of a wild cat- she gripped his fringe firmly to hold him in place and her voice spoke menacingly.

"Or I'll find you, turian."

The alien tensed beneath her. "Well, shit."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the long wait! I had some family issues, my grandmother unfortunately passed away and after I had dealt with that- I returned to FF to find I couldn't upload chapters! What a hoot that was. I figured out the other day that for some reason I can't upload chapters depending on their length. Which is fucking stupid. I don't understand and I'm not good with technology, so I'm sorry. I'll be better, I promise.<strong>

**Anywho, thank you ****_so_**** much to all my followers and reviewers and those who have faved the story! Y'all are awesome and I love you dearly. **

**Sincerely,**

**wBlitz**

**P.S. Please excuse any grammatical errors, if you catch any feel free to point them out to me so that I may fix them! Thanks again!**


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